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<title>Information Flow [Enterprise Architect User Guide]</title>

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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Information Flow</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="informationflow.png" width="352" height="98" border="0" alt="informationflow"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">An </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Information Flow</span><span class="f_BodyText"> represents <a href="informationitem.htm">information items</a> or classifiers flowing between two elements in any diagram. The connector is available from the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Common</span><span class="f_BodyText"> toolbox page and from every Quick Link menu.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">You can have more than one Information Flow connector between the same two elements, identifying which items flow between the two under differing conditions.</span></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL2"><span class="f_SubHeadingL2">Example of Use</span></p>
<ol style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 48px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li value=1><span class="f_NumberedList">Open a diagram and add two elements (for example, Nodes on a Deployment diagram).</span></li>
<li value=2><span class="f_NumberedList">Click on the </span><span class="f_NumberedList" style="font-style: italic;">Information Flow</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> connector in the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Common</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> toolbox page and drag between the two elements. The </span><span class="f_UIControl"><a href="informationitemsconvey.htm">Information Items Conveyed</a></span><span class="f_NumberedList"> dialog displays.</span></li>
<li value=3><span class="f_NumberedList">Add the classifier or information item element(s) to the Information Flow. The diagram now resembles the following.</span><br>
<span class="f_NumberedList">&nbsp;</span><br>
<img src="infoflow.png" width="297" height="111" border="0" alt="Infoflow"><br>
<span class="f_NumberedList">&nbsp;</span></li>
<li value=4><span class="f_NumberedList">Add another connector between the same two elements (for example, a </span><span class="f_NumberedList" style="font-style: italic;">Communication Path</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> connector).</span></li>
<li value=5><span class="f_NumberedList">Right-click the connector and select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Advanced | Information Flows Realized</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> context menu option. The</span><span class="f_UIControl"> <a href="informationitemsrealized.htm">Information Flows Realized</a></span><span class="f_NumberedList"> dialog displays.</span></li>
<li value=6><span class="f_NumberedList">Tick the checkbox against the required classifier element and click on the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">OK</span><span class="f_NumberedList"> button. The combined connector now resembles the following:</span><br>
<span class="f_NumberedList">&nbsp;</span><br>
<img src="infolfow2.png" width="305" height="116" border="0" alt="infolfow2"></li>
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<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Notes:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><ul style="text-indent: 0px; margin-left: 14px; list-style-position: outside;">
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">Once the connectors are combined, you cannot access the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Information Items Conveyed</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog directly. You add or delete information items on the connector using the</span><span class="f_UIControl"> <a href="informationitemsrealized.htm">Information Items Realized</a></span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog. If you have more than one Information Flow connector between the elements, they form part of the same combined connector; you can again work on them separately through the </span><span class="f_UIControl">Information Items Realized</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> dialog.</span></li>
<li><span class="f_TiporNoteText">If you have information flows in a diagram that you use as the source for a Pattern, the</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> Information Items Conveyed and Information Flows Realized data is not copied into the Pattern.</span></li>
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<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">Toolbox Icon </span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="c_informationflow.png" width="167" height="22" border="0" alt="c_InformationFlow"></p>
<p class="p_SubHeadingL1"><span class="f_SubHeadingL1">OMG UML Specification</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The OMG UML specification (</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p. 606</span><span class="f_BodyText">) states:</span></p>
<p class="p_OMGText"><span class="f_OMGText">An InformationFlow specifies that one or more information items circulates from its sources to its targets.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The OMG UML specification (</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p. 607</span><span class="f_BodyText">) </span><span class="f_BodyText"> also states:</span></p>
<p class="p_OMGText"><span class="f_OMGText">An information flow is an abstraction of the communication of an information item from its sources to its targets. It is used to abstract the communication of information between entities of a system. Sources or targets of an information flow designate sets of objects that can send or receive the conveyed information item.</span></p>




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